[paulhummer]

I served a slightly more than two year mission in the West Indies (I asked for and was given a 6 week "extension"). I am still active, though I often feel like a square peg in a round hole.

A mission is like college. It is what you make of it. For instance, I was a missionary with a mission. I didn't work too much with people that wanted to waste my time. I looked for people that were ready to make life changing decisions right now. I didn't find "knocking doors"/tracting to be very effective, and so while I did do it sporadically, I found other ways to meet people (ways that likely wouldn't work in the US, mind). I never sat still. I was either out meeting people, teaching them, and finding ways to help them or I was studying and thinking about better ways to help them.

I'm not sure that really made me founder material, but I did get the reap a lot of benefits of hard work. This resulted in me working harder to reap more benefits, and became a positive feedback loop for me.

This is what I have found, ten years later: Mormon missionaries are always two by two because they can't be by themselves (with the exception of being in the toilet). They aren't allowed. And you don't get to pick your "companion". You are assigned a companion and an area. Sometimes you get jerks. Sometimes you get people you just don't have anything in common with. And you don't get to put in a transfer request, or go stay at a friend's house to avoid them. You're with them. Period. This taught me to deal with people that are different than me, and not only "get along" with them, but be effective.